) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The message that we are continuing to put out there is that if you think you are going to try and fill the vacuum (left by the arrests), if you are going to choose to move with the gangs and commit gang crimes, then youre going to pay a price. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The court also may order additional terms of supervised release, fines, and restitution. . He is now in protective custody at an unknown location. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, 36 of the defendants named in the indictments were already in state prison and have been moved to federal holding facilities. Following that, the television news show " 60 Minutes " asked if a prison exists that can actually isolate the hardened criminal leaders. In 2000 and 2001, 22 members were indictment|indicted on RICO (law)|racketeering charges, including several who were allegedly serving as high-ranking gang leaders while confined in Pelican Bay . Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Hitt said agents tried to serve Guzman an arrest warrant in Salinas on Thursday but were unable to find her. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California has not followed: What should you do? We will continue to look at these organizations structurally to disrupt and dismantle them., According to the indictment, the 17 racketeering defendants were members and associates of the Nuestra Familia (NF) prison gang, a violent and lucrative organization formed in the 1960s. If he is going to betray one group the gang what's going to stop him from betraying the second the government?". Once membership was achieved, this membership was for life. While the recognized leaders of Nuestra Familia in Pelican Bay ask that members respect the former leaders, they have been effectively stripped of their authority. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. According to the indictment, NF members and associates were involved in plots to kill 14 victims between April 2013 and July 2019 as part of the charged racketeering conspiracy. Both pleaded guilty in separate cases. Details: The FBI said gang commanders sent orders from six prisons in the state: Pelican Bay State Prison, High Desert State Prison, California State Prison-Sacramento, California State Prison-Solano, Pleasant Valley State Prison and Salinas Valley State Prison. Amaro also faces life in federal prison. One "test" a prospective member must pass to join Nuestra Familia is to have committed at least one murder for "the cause," according to a gang investigator with the state Corrections Department as well as Al Valdez, an investigator with the Orange County district attorney's office and a gang consultant with the state attorney general's office. When agents learn a violent crime is being plotted, should they step in to prevent it and risk botching their undercover probe? [21] Nuestra Familia members often use the image of a sombrero with a machete as their gang symbol. Most of the defendants are headed to Monterey County court, where they will face drug, gang, weapons and possible conspiracy charges. It's all false.". " Hernandez: "Yeah. Dec. 9, 2002 -- The FBI didn't just infiltrate the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang, it allowed an informant to continue the group's violent and criminal activities for seven months, pulling off drug and gun deals and the killing of a rival gang leader, a defense attorney for one of the men accused in the case alleges in a court filing. Because Operation Black Widow was supposed to be keeping constant tabs on Hernandez, the FBI and other agencies had to know that he was ordering crimes, and that was enough to make their behavior gross misconduct, Zilversmit argues. Lewis Katz, the John C. Hutchins professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, said that law enforcement allowing an informant to occupy a position of authority in a criminal organization would raise ethical, if not legal, questions about the handling of an investigation. The gangs targeted in this case are responsible for much of the illicit drug distribution and violent crime that has plagued areas throughout CA pic.twitter.com/cyLZ3Uls5c, FBI SanFrancisco (@FBISanFrancisco) September 16, 2021, We take aim at the head of the snake, Hinds said. The operation was conducted with the help of a highly connected inside source -- Daniel Hernandez, the street general who had confirmed that the green light . [20] Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had complained that keeping the five remaining gang leaders located in the same prison only continued to add to California gang violence, and that they should be scattered throughout different prisons. For months, gang investigators from the California Department of Justice, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Salinas Police Department, the Monterey County Gang Task Force and the FBI worked to prepare arrest warrants for more than 40 high-ranking members of the gang in Salinas and nearby counties. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. [20], While Nuestra Familia is primarily a Chicano gang, membership sometimes extends to other Latinos as well as non-Latinos. Local deputies arrested her on March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs. Frias, 22, said that in addition to himself, others who received the guns included two gang members, who within months used the weapons in Salinas in a murder and an attempted murder. According to the NF Constitution, the Street Regiment General oversees the NFs overall street operations. The General of the Prisons is responsible for the NFs overall pinta [prison] functions, and the General Advocates Office is the NFs justice department. Tiered just below these three NF Generals was the Inner Council, which consisted of four senior NF members who served as advisors to the Generals and provided a system of checks and balances. By late June 2001, according to FBI records, information from other informants showed that Hernandez had lied to his FBI handlers on other matters. The question of how to investigate violent street gangs and organized crime is one that has troubled police and prosecutors for centuries, and according to law enforcement experts, no satisfactory answer has yet been reached. The indictments came after a three-year police investigation dubbed Operation Black Widow. The indictment charges all seven of the members who make up the Nuestra Familias ruling body: the General Council, said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. Read more about this topic: Nuestra Familia, It requires a surgical operation to get a joke well into a Scotch understanding. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. This is a carousel. Two others, Raymundo Ray-Ray Carrasco Lopez and Adrian Angel Lopez, were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in a separate federal case. But if you step back what does he have to do to move up in the gang? Law enforcement authorities seized 40 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana, and dozens of firearms. He later admitted the "golf" trip was to deliver two pounds of methamphetamine to a cousin. Here's the update on the Nuestra Familia-Now some of you might say that this org is not worth worrying about-it's the connections on the outside that are effecting business in the Santa Rosa area. He was convicted of racketeering charges in the Bay Area FBI case called Operation Black Widow. [20] The remaining leadership of the organization in Pelican Bay consists of Daniel "Stork" Perez, Anthony "Chuco" Guillen and George "Puppet" Franco. Craig Fair, head of the FBIs San Francisco area field office, said the operation announced Thursday was one of the largest gang takedowns in FBI San Francisco divisions history.. This event put into motion the longest-running gang war in the state of California. Federal investigators refuse to comment on the case, saying they will eventually answer in court, and at least one local law enforcer calls the charge bogus. Everyone in the Salinas Nuestra Familia crew was arrested in the murder, except Hernandez, who continued to inform on the gang. It was not immediately disclosed how many of the 19 remaining defendants were arrested in the law-enforcement sweeps this week. The gangsters saw the vehicle as they approached and, according to the informant, postponed the attack. The Bay Areas top federal prosecutor announced a sweeping array of indictments targeting the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang, boasting that a five-year operation had culminated in a takedown of the organizations leadership responsible for an expanse of drug trafficking and brutal street violence spanning Northern California. "Today's operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. For years, investigators have observed Huerta visiting Hernandez in jails and prisons and then delivering messages to local gang members. [20] Operation Knockout The defendants, among whom several high-ranking members of both groups could be found, were responsible for 600+ murders. But a few higher-level suspects, including Montoya, are headed to federal court, where arraignments were under way Thursday. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California has not followed: What should you do? To that end, he announced the debut Thursday of a county narcotics and gang task force overseen by the states Department of Justice. In legal motions filed over the past four weeks, defense attorneys for 15 alleged members of the Nuestra Familia the prison gang that governs the Northern California-based Norteo and. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prisonin Colorado. At their news conference Thursday, local and state leaders, including Schwarzenegger, pointed to job training and other services offered by Ceasefire as the other choice gang members can make if they want to avoid crackdowns like Thursdays. In the late 1990s, law enforcement officials put into action the only plan that could crack open the violent criminal enterprise -- getting someone from the inside to turn on his brethren. When confronted about unauthorized trips, Hernandez said he slipped away without permission to play golf in Stockton. The gangsters stopped in front of an apartment building, and Nuestra Familia member Paul Salcido and an associate got out of the car and ducked into an alley. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. And that price is going to be your freedom, said District Attorney Dean Flippo. He previously reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, and is a middling triathlete. ". Editorial | What will future hold for a 'reimagined' Seacliff State Beach? The only idea of wit, or rather that inferior variety of the electric talent which prevails occasionally in the North, and which, under the name of Wut, is so infinitely distressing to people of good taste, is laughing immoderately at stated intervals.Sydney Smith (17711845), A white face goes with a white mind. As quoted in Newsweek magazine, p. 13 (June 30, 1986). As outlined in the indictment, membership in the NF involved a process of sponsorship, approval, and indoctrination. These seven individuals for years led a violent and lucrative criminal organization from their prison cells. Six of the 13 are inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison. After serving NF for 20 years Viramontes had paroled, for good. FBI records show that by late July, the bureau stopped working with Hernandez, and he was arrested on a parole violation. He agreed to abide by Justice Department guidelines that said he must not commit "unauthorized crimes." According to Zilversmit, who represents another defendant, Hernandez not only helped the government build its case, but also took advantage of the freedom given him by law enforcement to first gain the position of go-between for Nuestra Familia leaders in prison and members on the street and eventually to take over the operation. Prison gang case puts role of FBI informants under scrutiny / Investigation results in 13 guilty pleas; 9 more defendants face trial next year, for fbi-hernandez; FBI Informant Daniel Hernandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. The records indicate Hernandez did not mention that a murder plot had been discussed; it is not known when agents listened to the tape -- before or after the murder. The perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. Experts say the new guidelines were designed to provide outside checks and balances for the FBI without hindering agents' ability to do their jobs. "It seems very risky from a concerned-citizen point of view," Zilversmit said. The Inner Council members that round out the seven were listed as Samuel Sammy Luna, Guillermo Capone Solorio, Trinidad Trino Martinez and George Puppet Franco. The gang has been around since 1965, according to federal prosecutors, started inside Soledad prison to protect Hispanic inmates. One of the handguns distributed by Armando Santa cruz while he was regiment commander of Salinas FBI informant Daniel Hernandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. Staff writer Nate Gartrell contributed to this report. Really? The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California have declined to comment on the allegations in Zilversmit's filing. [14] While members of the Norteos gang are considered to be foot soldiers of Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteo. SAN JOSE - A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 17 defendants with racketeering conspiracy, including acts involving murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and money laundering, and charging five others with drug trafficking-related crimes. The indictment outlines that the Nuestra Familia used hierarchical and paramilitary structures to control thousands of California gang members and counties across Northern California even while most of the top leadership was incarcerated.. U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello said the mass arrests sent a direct message to the gangs followers: Stop the violence. Two of the defendants face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the drug trade. Huerta is known among gang members as the wife of Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, one the Nuestra Familia"s top leaders serving a life sentence in a Colorado "supermax" prison. You have a potential disaster waiting to happen," Cohen said. "They almost become complicit in it," he said. The allegations about the way Operation Black Widow handled the case are based on information from the government's discovery documents, Zilversmit said. When Operation Knockout was launched last fall, officials acknowledged there were no resources in place to help communities such as Salinas deal with the almost certain spates of violence that tend to follow mass arrests. Journalist Reynolds uses her unprecedented access to gang members, both in and out of . At the time of Operation Black Widow, law enforcement officials had estimated that Nuestra Familia was responsible for at least 600 murders in the previous 30 years. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. "The problem in this case is all these guys have criminal histories, so you can't say they're not predisposed," he said. Police joined the FBI in a multi-jurisdictional effort to bring down members of the gang after a crime spree through Watsonville and neighboring cities began in the fall of 2003. Salazar was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday and Pereda was due to be released soon from a federal prison. One local police officer, however, was skeptical of the lawyer's claims. The more time you can get on someone whos in the hierarchy the better it is, because its less of an incentive to the young ones who see this as a romantic choice of lifestyle, she said. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prisonin Colorado. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Arizona, Florida,[2] Georgia, Idaho,[3] Nevada,[4] Kansas,[5] New Mexico, Northern California, Membership in the gang extends beyond prison. Defense attorneys lost a motion to dismiss the case, based on a claim that the government was responsible for murder and assault because it essentially ran Nuestra Familia activities through its informant Daniel Hernandez, who commanded the gang's street operations outside of prison. If an individual is the target of a murder plot, you have to protect him.". It would be tough for Zilversmit to make a case that his client had no predisposition to commit the crimes he is accused of committing something the defense would have to prove in order win an acquittal, he said. Eventually, three new generals came to power at Pelican Bay, yet two were demoted, . The defendants are scheduled to make initial federal court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Nathanael Cousins and U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Sallie Kim today. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Another problem is that in order for the informant to bring in good information, he must be a successful gang member, and the higher he moves in the organization, the more valuable the evidence he can provide to law enforcement trying to make a case against the gang leaders. Montoya is one of 10 who were charged in a federal drug conspiracy case, facing a maximum of life in prison. TTY: (415) 436-7221, Oakland: (510) 637-3680 FBI informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. A task force of law enforcement agents listening in learned that Nuestra Familia member Hector Gallegos was scheduled to be the first victim. The trial of Heredia and the other defendants is scheduled to begin in January. He was due to be released soon from Corcoran state prison, prosecutors said, where he served time on a 2007 assault charge. Huerta had been living in Castroville and living a low-key life in recent months, often expressing fears she might be indicted after FBI agents tried to contact her earlier this year. The Nuestra Familia was not recognized as a prison gang by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation until 1979. Its the way we should do business. Like Hanrahan, she was often named in witness testimony in the ongoing Valley Star trials in Sacramento federal court. both faced life sentences in the FBI's sweeping Operation Black Widow conspiracy case in 2000. The largest of the federal investigations was Operation Black Widow. The largest of the federal investigations was Operation Black Widow. Northern District of California The investigation is the first time law enforcement has attempted to bring in such large numbers of Nuestra Familia associates from one geographic area, and the hope is this will virtually shut down the gangs business in Salinas long enough for other anti-violence strategies to take hold. "Operation Quiet Storm," as dubbed by the FBI's San Francisco area field office, yielded 17 indictments and 55 charged defendants, prompting an array of regional agencies including the FBI, Drug. 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